Viper

Mrs. Boss

Personal Health and Fitness

14 February 1997

Peak Conditioning

Peak conditioning is a three way balance between nutrition, fitness, and

recuperation are key elements for staying physically fit and healthy. Nutrition

helps keep the internal body healthy as well as the mind. Fitness keeps the out

side healthy by building muscle and endurance and keeps the inside functioning

and working properly. Recuperation allows the body to recover from the hard

work and the muscle tears. Nutrition , fitness, and recuperation are over looked

by a lot in most Americans. This can lead to obesity and premature death.

What you eat is nutrition. Good nutrition can help eliminate afternoon

drowsiness, eliminate yeast allergies, improve hypoglycemia and

hyperglycemia, reduce food cravings and sugar cravings, and help keep a

steady energy throughout the day. Refined carbohydrates can be harmful in the

sense they stimulate the body to burn sugar instead of fat. Therefor eating less

of these refined carbohydrates will burn fat more efficiently. Eating protein at

meals can have many benefits. One benefit causes your resting metabolic rate

to raise, causing your body temperature to rise, which means your body is

consuming more calories at rest. Another benefit of eating more protein is by

combing high protein meals with high fiber, low calories, and low glycemic

carbohydrates. This force your body to work much harder than with ordinary

meals. Fiber and all roughage is good in that it cleans the walls of the

intestine. This keeps infection from forming in the intestine. Plus the fiber

stimulates bile production. Sugar also plays a big role in nutrition. Some people

have high glycemic (high sugar) and some have low glycemic ( low sugar).

These different levels of blood sugar can have different effects on people. Low

glycemic will not reduce growth hormone release. It will also not stimulate the

over production of insulin, instigating the possibility of fat storage. On the other

hand high glycemic will trigger excess insulin. It will also diminish the release

of growth hormones.

Fitness is the second part of staying healthy. Working out will build

muscle endurance and keep you physically fit. A workout plan is good for

keeping a balance exercise session. This is a workout plan that is well rounded

and works all the major muscle groups. Remember to use a strict form at all

times unless you are at an advanced level and even then perform minimal chest

reps. Do three to four different exercises each workout per major body parts like

the chest, back, and legs. Also do two to three exercises on minor body part like

the biceps, triceps, neck, shoulder, forearm, and calves:

At the beginning of your workout when you are performing the

heaviest basic movements you should rest 45 to 75 seconds

between sets. Near the end when you use the lighter weight

performing stricter isolation exercises rest only 30 to 45 second

between sets. Always perform cardiovascular exercise after weight

training unless performing ten to 15 minutes of cardiovascular

exercise before a workout as a warm-up. Remember to always

drink water before and after workouts to keep well hydrated.

(Weintraub)

To be in peak condition is to be the healthiest you can be. Nutrition

provides the building blocks for growth and development. Training provides the

stimulus for muscle growth provided you have generated greater intensity than

ever before by either lifting one pound more or one repetition more than you

have ever lifted. Recuperation provides the time for growth to occur. There are

several advantages for being in peak condition and here are just a few, more

energy for all other activities in life, live a longer and healthier life, look and feel

better, better mental focus, cleaner thought process, improved self esteem,

reduce blood pressure, reduce stress, sleep better, require less sleep, raises

your metabolic rate, helps reduce illness, maintain regularity, promote health,

reduce risk of diabetes and arthritis, reduce blood pressure and cholesterol,

reduce risk of heart disease, increases strength, improves coordination and

posture, increases bone density, reduces tendency for back injuries, and last but

not least increases flexibility.

If every person took time to make a workout plan a chose healthier food

we would all live longer. Nutrition and fitness don't only help the physical but it

helps the mental too. For one to exercise ones mind and body is a great task

but can be accomplished with patients and hard work.

Works Cited

Callaway, C. Wayne. The Callaway Diet. New York: Bantam Books, 1990.

Clouatre, Dallas. Anti-Fat Nutrients. San Francisco: Pax Publishing, 1993.

Colgan, Dr. Michael. Optimum Sports Nutrition. New York: Advanced

Research Press, 1993.

Goulant, Frances Sheridan. Beyond Baby Fat. New York: McGraw-Hill Book

Company, 1985

Weintraub, Mitchell. Interview with Bonnie Anzalone. 20 July 1996.